In the past, when you looked ahead to retirement, you may have envisioned yourself and your husband or wife financing this period together. However, things may look quite a bit different after a Tennessee divorce, and you may have concerns about being able to support yourself and maintain your quality of life without your ex’s help.
Per CNBC, one thing many divorced individuals do not realize is that they may be able to secure Social Security retirement benefits using their former spouse’s work history, as opposed to their own. If you would be able to collect more in monthly benefits using your former partner’s work record, it may serve you well to do so.
Qualifying for benefits using your ex’s record
Several things must be true for you to collect Social Security retirement benefits using the work history of your former husband or wife. First, your ex must have enough work history in a job covered by Social Security to qualify for these benefits. Second, your marriage to your former spouse must have lasted 10 years or longer for you to obtain benefits based on his or her history.
Collecting benefits using your ex’s record
If you determine that you have the ability to collect more in benefits using your former husband or wife’s record than you would your own, there are limits to how much you might receive. At most, you have entitlement to half of what your ex takes home in Social Security benefits each month.
Should you decide to use your ex’s work record to get Social Security retirement benefits, note that your doing so does not diminish the amount your former spouse receives each month.
